Cristiano Ronaldo came dangerously close to joining an MLS team prior to moving to Saudi Arabia. A portion of the ownership was discussed during the discussions.
The 39-year-old Ronaldo left football in Europe at the start of 2023 and agreed to a three-year contract with the Saudi team Al Nassr after Manchester United decided to terminate his Old Trafford contract.
He rose to become the world’s highest-paid football player as a result. The Portuguese star reportedly earns £177 million a year from the Saudi Pro League squad.
Prior to signing with Al Nassr, Ronaldo had discussions with several other teams.
And if he had accepted the offer from Sporting Kansas City, things might have turned out quite differently.
Before Ronaldo departed to Saudi Arabia, Sporting KC talked with his agents multiple times, according to head coach Peter Vermes, and the conversations “took on real legs.”
The Athletic claims that at the time, the MLS had a list of 50 players who, if signed, would be the most beneficial to the league. The top two players were declared to be Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with Kylian Mbappe placing third.
According to the news source, Messi was still at Inter Miami when Sporting KC first began speaking with Ronaldo.
People claimed that the MLS squad was “serious” about their strategy and had presented “creative packages” that might have included a cut of the overseas jersey sales and a portion of the club’s ownership.
According to reports from the Kansas City Star, Patrick, the owner of Sporting KC and quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, was prepared to demonstrate Ronaldo what it’s like to be a famous athlete living in the city.
The report stated, “Senior figures at the team were convinced they were down to the final two before Ronaldo opted for Saudi Arabia. The feedback was positive and one meeting became another.”
According to the Athletic report, there were several reasons why top officials from other clubs first thought it unlikely that Ronaldo would move to the United States.
People allege that due of the hoopla surrounding the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s allegations of rape in the US and the high expense of signing him, there was “quiet acceptance” that the deal would not go through.
The former model and instructor Kathryn Mayorga said that in 2009, the football star who had played for Real Madrid and Manchester United had sexually assaulted her in a hotel in Las Vegas.
Ronaldo has never faced charges and has consistently refuted the allegations made against him.
Rumour has it that in 2010, Mayorga and Ronaldo reached an out-of-court settlement for $375,000 (£304,000).
In 2022, Mayorga filed a lawsuit against Ronaldo in the US, but the judge dismissed it. Millions of dollars may have been added to the alleged payment.
